IMDb > A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
A Fish Called Wanda
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A Fish Called Wanda (1988) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   79,611 votes »
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MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
John Cleese (story) and
Charles Crichton (story) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for A Fish Called Wanda on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
15 July 1988 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Comedy | Crime See more »
Tagline:
A tale of murder, lust, greed, revenge, and seafood. See more »
Plot:
In London, four very different people team up to commit armed robbery, then try to doublecross each other for the loot. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 8 wins & 15 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(170 articles)
Watch four Oscar winners have one wild trip in Last Vegas teaser
 (From Cineplex. 16 May 2013, 2:40 PM, PDT)
Michael Palin To Receive Fellowship At Arqiva BAFTA TV Awards!
 (From The Hollywood News. 12 May 2013, 1:00 AM, PDT)
Michael Palin, Bafta 2013 winner: 'My life has been a series of lucky accidents'
 (From The Guardian - TV News. 4 May 2013, 4:10 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
something's fishy (in a good way) See more (166 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

John Cleese ... Archie Leach

Jamie Lee Curtis ... Wanda Gershwitz

Kevin Kline ... Otto

Michael Palin ... Ken Pile

Maria Aitken ... Wendy
Tom Georgeson ... Georges Thomason
Patricia Hayes ... Mrs. Coady

Geoffrey Palmer ... Judge

Cynthia Cleese ... Portia (as Cynthia Caylor)
Mark Elwes ... Customer in Jeweler's Shop
Neville Phillips ... Manager of Jeweler's Shop
Peter Jonfield ... Inspector Marvin
Ken Campbell ... Bartlett
Al Ashton ... Warder
Roger Hume ... Locksmith
Roger Brierley ... Davidson
Llewellyn Rees ... Sir John
Michael Percival ... Percival
Kate Lansbury ... Magistrate

Robert Ian Mackenzie ... Copper (as Robert Cavendish)
Andrew MacLachlan ... Eebedee
Roland MacLeod ... Vicar
Jeremy Child ... Mr. Johnson
Pamela Miles ... Mrs. Johnson
Tom Pigott Smith ... Child Johnson (13)
Katherine John ... Child Johnson (10)
Sophie Johnstone ... Child Johnson (8)
Kim Barclay ... Nanny
Sharon Twomey ... 1st Junior Barrister (Defence Counsel)
Patrick Newman ... 2nd Junior Barrister (Defence Counsel)
David Simeon ... Clerk of Court (Old Bailey)
Imogen Bickford-Smith ... Stenographer
Tia Lee ... Junior Barrister (Prosecutor Counsel)
Robert Putt ... Police Officer (Old Bailey)
Waydon Croft ... 1st Prison Officer
John Dixon ... 2nd Prison Officer
Anthony Pedley ... Irate Driver
Robert McBain ... Hotel Clerk
Clare McIntyre ... Airline Employee
Charu Bala Chokshi ... Indian Cleaner

Stephen Fry ... Hutchison
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Bird ... Clerk of the Magistrate's Court (uncredited)

Robert Goodman ... Street thug (uncredited)
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Directed by
Charles Crichton 
John Cleese (uncredited)
 
Writing credits
John Cleese (story) and
Charles Crichton (story)

John Cleese (written by)

Produced by
Steve Abbott .... executive producer
John Cleese .... executive producer
John Comfort .... associate producer
Michael Shamberg .... producer
 
Original Music by
John Du Prez 
 
Cinematography by
Alan Hume 
 
Film Editing by
John Jympson 
 
Casting by
Priscilla John 
 
Production Design by
Roger Murray-Leach 
 
Art Direction by
John Wood 
 
Set Decoration by
Stephenie McMillan 
 
Costume Design by
Hazel Pethig 
 
Makeup Department
Lynda Armstrong .... makeup artist (as Lynda Armstrong-Lawlor)
Paul Engelen .... makeup supervisor
Barry Richardson .... key hair stylist
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jonathan Benson .... assistant director
Melvin Lind .... second assistant director
David Skynner .... third assistant director
 
Art Department
Leon Apsey .... head of construction
Bruce Bigg .... property master
Roy Evans .... construction manager
Kevin Phipps .... assistant art director
Brian Read .... production buyer
Alfie Smith .... stand-by property supervisor
Micky Swift .... stand-by propman (as Mickey Swift)
Bill Stallion .... storyboard artist (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Jonathan Bates .... sound editor
Gerry Humphreys .... sound re-recording mixer
Chris Munro .... sound recordist
Andrew Sissons .... sound maintenance engineer
Colin Wood .... boom operator
 
Special Effects by
George Gibbs .... special effects supervisor
David Watson .... special effects technician (as Dave Watson)
Terence J. Cox .... special effects technician (uncredited)
Alan Poole .... special effects technician (uncredited)
 
Visual Effects by
Alan Church .... optical camera (uncredited)
Simon Margetts .... director of photography: main title sequence (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Romo Gorrara .... stunt coordinator
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Neil Binney .... camera operator
Bob Bremner .... gaffer (as Bobby Bremner)
Graham Hall .... clapper loader
Simon Hume .... focus puller
David James .... still photographer
Bill Thornhill .... best boy
Jimmy Waters .... grip
Jimmy Worley .... electrician (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Stephen Cornish .... wardrobe assistant (as Steve Cornish)
Jenny Hawkins .... wardrobe assistant
Ray Usher-Cooper .... wardrobe master (as Ray Usher)
 
Editorial Department
Kevin Phelan .... unit projectionist: Mercury Theatres, London
William Webb .... assistant film editor
David Barrett .... assistant editor (uncredited)
Jonathan Lucas .... assistant editor (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Peter Holt .... music editor
André Jacquemin .... music producer
Dick Lewzey .... orchestral recordist
John Williams .... musician: solo guitar
John Du Prez .... conductor (uncredited)
George Hamer .... orchestra contractor (uncredited)
 
Transportation Department
Mark White .... production driver
Roy Clarke .... driver: Jamie Lee Curtis (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Andy Birmingham .... production accountant
Peter Byck .... assistant: Mr. Shamberg, USA
Sophie Clarke-Jervoise .... assistant: Dr. Cleese
Pauline Clift .... animal supplier
Robert Conway .... legal advisor
Nick Daubeny .... location manager: Oxford
Diana Dill .... continuity
Bill Edwards .... unit publicist
Yvonne Heeks .... assistant accountant
Ralph Kamp .... production assistant
Christopher Knowles .... assistant location manager: London
William Lang .... location manager
Liz Lehmans .... production assistant
Ian Miles .... financial controller
Janine Modder .... production coordinator (as Janine Lodge)
Alexandra Stone .... assistant to producer
Mark Birmingham .... production assistant (uncredited)
Yvonne Eastmond .... assistant production accountant (uncredited)
Richard Morrison .... title designer (uncredited)
Kimberley Vashiell .... choreographer (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


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Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
108 min
Country:
USA | UK
Language:
English | Italian | Russian
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:18A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | Ireland:15 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Iceland:L | South Korea:18 | New Zealand:PG | Spain:T | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12
Filming Locations:
Roehampton Church School, Wandsworth, London, England, UKSee more »
Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)See more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
The poem Archie Leach recites in Russian for Wanda Gershwitz is Molitva (1839) by Mikhail Lermontov (1814-1841).See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: When Ken shoots the piece of wood that keeps the giant block of cement from falling, the rope/wheel slides down in the incorrect counter-clockwise direction.See more »
Quotes:
Otto:You know your problem? You don't like winners.
Archie:Winners?
Otto:Yeah. Winners.
Archie:Winners, like North Vietnam?
Otto:Shut up. We didn't lose Vietnam. It was a tie!
Archie:[going into a cowboy-like drawl] I'm tellin' ya baby, they kicked your little ass there. Boy, they whooped yer hide REAL GOOD.
See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Jolly Roger: Massacre at Cutter's Cove (2005)See more »
Soundtrack:
Nel blu, dipinto di bluSee more »

FAQ

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User Reviews

   (Review this title)
29 out of 34 people found the following review useful.
something's fishy (in a good way), 24 October 2006
Author: Lee Eisenberg (eisenberg.lee@gmail.com) from Portland, Oregon, USA

Portraying a heist gone awry, "A Fish Called Wanda" goes all out in every way possible. Maybe the whole thing is little more than an excuse for a bunch of silly situations, but they have some great ones here. Whether it's John Cleese's dance, Kevin Kline's rips at England, Michael Palin's stuttering, or Jamie Lee Curtis's deadpan performance, they know how to do everything here. I can't describe how funny the movie is; you just have to see it. And you may very well die laughing - or if nothing else, you'll want to take a trip to England. Kevin Kline definitely deserved his Oscar. And of course, the cast teamed up again for the equally funny (maybe even better) "Fierce Creatures". This is a comedy classic in every way.

Oh, and in case Kevin Kline is reading this: Happy birthday! You're my favorite actor!

Was the above review useful to you?
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Message Boards

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The Key rockcairn69
Brilliant movie dshirlyn-1
Stephen Fry sgottlieb87
Jamie Lee Curtis attractive? deathbyanxiety
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This movie wasn't funny... tedious_toad-1
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